WJH Intacct FAQ

1.  What is Intacct?

2.  What are the advantages of applications like Intacct that are provided as Software-As-A-Service?

3.  What are some of the specific advantages of the Intacct applications?

4.  What application modules are included?

5.  Where can I find more information about the Intacct applications?

6.  Who provides the Intacct application, and are they reliable?

7.  Do you use Intacct yourself?

8.  How do I sign up for a full presentation and/or demonstration of the product? 

9.  Can I test drive the applications?

10.  What are the system requirements?

If you have any other questions, please contact us.

1.  What is Intacct?

When we say "Intacct" we are usually referring to the software applications produced by Intacct Corporation.  They produce a suite of on demand financial applications that can be used as the backbone of a business.   

While all of the Intacct suite is available to our clients, most of our clients use the accounting modules.  These modules are an ideal choice for small to medium size companies.  They provide the capabilities of a complete professional strength accounting system without the complications and higher costs of other systems.

The Intacct accounting applications provide everything expected from a true professional strength accounting solution - general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, cash management, order entry, purchase orders, inventory control, and employee expense reporting.  There is also a rich array of reporting capabilities that allow you to see your financial data in exactly the way you need it.  Integrated third-party options include payroll processing, professional time & billing, retirement plan management (401k), and medical practice management applications.

Intacct is the key component of our WJH Accounting Online program.  The applications used in WJH-AO are referred to as "Software-As-A-Service" applications.  This means that the software is accessed via the Internet and the application is hosted and maintained entirely on a remote set of servers.  This means you can access the application and your data anytime and anywhere.   (You just need to have access to a web browser.)  For more information about Software-As-A-Service click here. 

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2.  What are the advantages of applications like Intacct that are provided as Software-As-A-Service?

Intacct and other Software-As-A-Service applications provide a number of significant advantages.

1.  Anytime, anywhere access – Running the applications only requires access to a web browser and support software like the free version of Acrobat Reader.  (We use Intacct for our own firm accounting and particularly like the freedom to access our data, approve expense reports, approve checks, and perform other tasks from locations other than our offices.) 

2.  Subscription based – You pay for the applications on a monthly subscription basis.  There are no up-front software purchase fees.

3.  Cost effective – The applications do not require large systems expenditures for servers, server installation, or other hardware and software.  In the case of the Intacct applications, Intacct and their partner, IBM, take care of all system upgrades, maintenance, backup, storage, and security.  

4.  Easy to maintain – There are no additional maintenance costs and no maintenance  upgrades for you to install.  The software is automatically upgraded as needed with no effort on your part.

5.  Automatic, off-site backups - We all know we should backup our critical data, but, too often, we do not do backups on a regular basis.  Most SAAS applications (including Intacct) perform a backup every day and store the backup data in the secure, remote  data center.

6.  Customizable – The software is highly customizable so that each user has access only to the components which they need. 

7.  Sharable – Data can be shared with staff and other business partners.  However, you control who has access to what data.

8.  Secure – The applications are hosted off-site in limited access facilities - in the case of Intacct, these are the same facilities used by Fortune 500 companies for their critical applications.  As previously mentioned, frequent (daily) back-ups of your data are automatically performed at the off-site facility.  The Intacct application incorporates the same mission-critical security and privacy protections as those employed in online banking - a level of security generally far beyond what most small to medium businesses can afford to implement on their own.

9.  Faster deployment – Since there is no server setup and limited Internet access and desktop computer setup, an SAAS application can be up and running quickly.  After initial sign-up, WJH will configure your system so it is compatible with the way your business functions today. We will setup users and permissions, upload  legacy data, and train your staff. And, anytime you have a question our staff, as well as the Intacct customer support team, is standing by to help.

10.  Easier, more available training – Web-based training sessions are available along with the ability to communicate with a support person as needed.

11.  Faster innovation – The products are updated more quickly so you get the benefit of the latest innovations.

For more information about the a Software-As-A-Service application see the Software-As-A-Service FAQ. 

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3.  What are some of the specific advantages of the Intacct applications?

Some of the additional advantages of the Intacct applications are as follows.

a.  Professional Strength Accounting - The Intacct applications are fully featured professional strength accounting solutions.  The system is a real double entry bookkeeping system with true hard close of accounting periods.  These capabilities provide a level of protection from fraud and theft that is simply not available on low end desk top systems.

b.  Data Availability -  The applications offer the ability to scan, upload, and archive support documents that are originally on paper.  This feature, coupled with pro-level "drill-down" capability, means you can start at a financial statement and drill down in specific categories to find, for example, an employee's expense statement and the scanned copy of the actual receipt that supports the reported expense.  Similarly, you can drill down to find invoices or other receipts.  Contracts and other support documents can also be stored and viewed within the applications.

c.  Automatic Backup of Your Data - Your data is automatically backed-up each day and the backup data is safely and securely stored remotely in an enterprise-class datacenter.

d.  Custom Report Capability - An included report creation application provides the ability to create the report you need when you need it.  And, because the data is online all of the time, you are not having to wait for 30 or 45 days (or even longer) to see your financial results.  The data is available as soon as it as put into the system.
 
e.  Growth Capability - With this solution you and your staff do not need to  deal with the issues associated with an in-house application and the associated computing infrastructure as you  grow or your needs change.  Intacct does all the work for you by adding servers, storage, and networking at the centralized, IBM-hosted data center.  All you ever need to do is add additional users or applications - typically with a couple of mouse clicks.

And, if your business model changes, you add additional offices or facilities, or you acquire subsidiaries, we provides a simple growth path with the patent-pending MEGA solution that allows your headquarters to manage any number of business units that are organized in any ownership configuration.

f.  Application Integration - The accounting applications are integrated with other applications such as time and billing, medical practice management, payroll processing, 401k management, and the professional tax return processing software used by WJH.

 It is possible that you either now have, or would like to deploy, internal or partner applications interconnected with your financial accounting system.  The process of integrating legacy, third-party, and custom business applications with the core system is greatly simplified through one of the industry’s most sophisticated XML gateways.  There are tools already available to make the integration quick, easy, and cost effective.

The accounting applications are already integrated with applications such as time and billing, medical practice management, payroll processing, 401k management, and other applications.  

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4.  What applications modules are included?

The Intacct application is available in several different configurations. 

1.  Intacct eLedger - eLedger is focused on the smaller business.  It provides the following accounting modules.

2.  Intacct Enterprise - Enterprise is intended for larger companies or growing companies.  It includes all of the modules within eLedger plus Accounts Receivable and a Customization module that allows for additional custom capabilities and reports.

3.  Intacct MEGA - Multi-Entity General Accounting - MEGA is a revolutionary, patent-pending accounting infrastructure built from the ground up so you can assemble any collection of business units into a unified multi-entity accounting system. Now you can have anywhere, anytime information and control, regardless of how your individual businesses are structured. You can see a wide-angle, top-down view across your entire organization one moment, and then instantly zoom down into the fine details of any business unit.   Individual MEGA entities may be eLedger or Enterprise clients.

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5.  Where can I find more information about the Intacct applications?

We have several documents that provide more information about WJH Accounting Online.

The following documents are available on the web. Note that the documents indicated by (pdf) require the Adobe Acrobat Reader. This a free software application. If you do not currently have Acrobat Reader installed, you can get a free copy by clicking on the Get Acrobat Reader logo.
 

WJH Accounting Online Overview of Services (pdf) - This booklet provides more detail regarding the services and helps determine which services you might need.
 

WJH Accounting Online Web Pages - This is a separate web site that specifically covers the WJH-AO applications and the underlying Internet based infrastructure.

WJH Accounting Online Intacct Application Datasheets - If you prefer datasheets that describe each of the modules they can be accessed from the following list.

eLedger Overview

enterprise Overview

MEGA Overview

General Ledger

Accounts Payable

Accounts Receivable

Cash Management

Employee Expense

Consolidation

Payroll Overview

Payroll - WJH Integrated Services

Inventory Control

Order Entry

Purchase Order

Retirement Services (401k)

Professional Services

Time and Billing

Hard copy of these documents are also available if that is more convenient for you. Just contact us and let us know what you need and where to send it.

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6.  Who provides the Intacct application, and are they reliable?

Intacct is a leading supplier of Internet-based accounting applications to small and medium size businesses.  They were founded in 1999 and are headquartered in San Jose, Ca.

As of Fall, 2005 they have over 2,000 customers and over 6,000 corporate users.  Their products are sold through CPA firms and independent software vendors (ISVs).  Intacct is the product selected by IBM to be sold to their customers through the IBM eBusiness on demand program.

Their partners include IBM, Salesforce.com, and CompuPay.

Some of the awards and reviews the Intacct product has received are  -

• Forbes, "Best of the Web"

• CPA Software News, “Five-star Review”

• PC Magazine, “Four-star Rating”

• InfoWorld Test Center, “Deploy"

• Accounting Today, “Top 100 Products"

For more information see intacct.com.

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7.  Do you use Intacct yourself?

Yes, we do.  We have used the Intacct applications for our own internal accounting for over 3 years.  (In fact, we used the applications for our own accounting before we told any clients about them.)  We continue to be very pleased with the product and with the capabilities it provides to us. 

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8.  How do I sign up for a full presentation and/or demonstration of the product? 

We will be happy to set up a time for you and your associates to see an overview presentation of the capabilities and advantages of WJH Accounting Online. We can also arrange a live demonstration of the Intacct powered accounting applications.  We offer demonstrations in our office or at your offices.  We can also host a web-based meeting where people from remote locations can get see a demo using the Internet and telephone. 

Contact us and let us know when you would like to get together.

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9.  Can I test drive the applications?

Yes, we can set you up with a test account.  We have found the best way to do this is to go through a brief presentation of the various capabilities first and get you familiar with the user interface and features. 

Contact us and let us know when you would like to have a guest account set up.

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10.  What are the system requirements?

The WJH Accounting Online applications powered by Intacct runs on PCs only.  It does not run on Mac, Unix, or Linux machines.  The other requirements are as follows.

 

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